Stuffed children&#39;s toy with therapeutic feature

ABSTRACT

Stuffed toys, therapeutic stuffed animals, and therapeutic stuffed teddy bears for children are presented herein. A stuffed child&#39;s toy is disclosed, which includes a body having a torso, a head, and one or more appendages projecting from the torso. The torso defines a cavity within which is disposed a container that is attached to the torso. A fluid medium is disposed within the container. The fluid medium includes a plurality of particles movably disposed within the fluid medium. The container may be a fluidly sealed, translucent polymeric orb. The body may include a flexible outer shell filled with a pliable material. The particles may include light-reflective glitter entrained within the fluid medium.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to children's toys and, more particularly, to children's toys with a therapeutic feature for treating adolescent behavioral and emotional problems, such as temper tantrums, tirades, and other types of emotional outbursts.

BACKGROUND

The children's toy industry is a global multibillion-dollar business that is continually growing as new products are developed and introduced to the buying public. Many different types of stuffed children's toys, whether it be stuffed animals or stuffed dolls, have long been used for both male and female children. The teddy bear, for example, which has been a staple of the toy industry for more than a century, is a favorite among children. Historically, stuffed toys are plush or synthetic-textile shells stuffed with a soft material, such as cotton, wool, synthetic fiber or, more recently, plastic pellets or beans. Most stuffed toys are designed as inanimate, silent objects; however, some designs offer movable appendages while some designs are provided with audio capabilities.

Stuffed animals and stuffed dolls are typically utilized for entertainment and companionship purposes, provided to children as a play toy and so they can have a companion that can be kept physically close, even while sleeping. A child may also derive comfort from a plush toy, which can bring physical comfort to a child as both a playmate and companion, as well as when the child is in distress. While a child may derive amusement and camaraderie from a stuffed toy, these toys are typically limited to such purposes and, thus, are not designed to be therapeutic devices or to provide emotional wellbeing to the child. Since a child's needs extend beyond mere amusement, and toys offer an established means for interacting and communicating with a child, there is a need for children's toys that offer additional benefits and features beyond just entertainment and companionship.

SUMMARY

Aspects of the present disclosure are directed to a stuffed toy, such as a teddy bear, which includes one or more therapeutic features for children, the use of which may lead to improved mental and emotional health. While this stuffed toy may be suitable for entertainment and companionship purposes, a primary purpose and advantage can be as a therapeutic or disciplinary tool for treating, for example, child temper tantrums, tirades and other types of emotional outbursts. In some embodiments, the stuffed teddy bear acts as a therapeutic toy for helping children learn how to express their emotions adaptively, decreasing the incidence of temper tantrums, aggressive acts, or other problematic emotional reactions. The stuffed toys disclosed herein can also create and additional path of communication between the child and the parent to establish unacceptable conduct and expected behavioral protocols.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a stuffed toy for a child is presented. The stuffed toy includes a body having a torso, a head, and one or more appendages projecting from the torso. The torso defines a cavity. A container is disposed within the cavity and attached to the torso. A fluid medium is disposed within the container. The fluid medium includes a plurality of particles movably disposed within the fluid medium,

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a therapeutic stuffed animal is disclosed. The therapeutic stuffed animal includes a torso with a flexible outer shell filled with a pliable material. A front portion of the torso defines a cavity. A head projects outwardly from the torso, and multiple appendages also project outwardly from the torso. A translucent or transparent container is attached to the torso. The container is seated within and substantially fills the cavity. A fluid medium is sealed within the container. The fluid medium includes a plurality of light-reflective particles movably disposed within the fluid medium.

Other aspects of the present disclosure are directed to a therapeutic stuffed teddy bear for children. The stuffed teddy bear includes a bear-shaped body with a flexible textile outer shell that is filled with a pliable material. The body has a torso, a head projecting outwardly from the torso, and two arms and two legs projecting outwardly from the torso. A front central portion of the torso defines a cavity. A translucent elastic orb is rigidly attached to the torso. The orb is seated within, substantially filling and protruding at least partially out of the cavity. A liquid medium is fluidly sealed within the container and entrained with light-reflective glitter particles movably disposed within the liquid medium.

The above summary is not intended to represent each embodiment or every aspect of the present disclosure. Rather, the summary merely provides an exemplification of some of the novel features presented herein. The above features and advantages, and other features and advantages of the present disclosure, will be readily apparent from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments and best modes for carrying out the present invention when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective-view illustration of an exemplary stuffed children's toy with a therapeutic feature according to aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a front-view illustration of the exemplary stuffed children's toy with a therapeutic feature of FIG. 1.

Many aspects of this disclosure are susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, and specific embodiments have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail herein. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not intended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed. Rather, the invention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS

While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, there are shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail representative embodiments of the invention with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the broad aspects of the invention to the embodiments illustrated. To that extent, elements and limitations that are disclosed, for example, in the Abstract, Summary, and Detailed Description sections, but not explicitly set forth in the claims, should not be incorporated into the claims, singly or collectively, by implication, inference or otherwise. For purposes of the present detailed description, unless specifically disclaimed: the singular includes the plural and vice versa; the words “and” and “or” shall be both conjunctive and disjunctive; the word “all” means “any and all”; the word “any” means “any and all”; and the word “including” means “including without limitation.” Moreover, words of approximation, such as “about,” “almost,” “substantially,” “approximately,” and the like, can be used herein in the sense of “at, near, or nearly at,” or “within 3-5% of,” or “within acceptable manufacturing tolerances,” or any logical combination thereof, for example.

Referring to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like features throughout the several views, there is shown in FIG. 1 a representative stuffed child's toy, designated generally at 10, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. As shown, the stuffed toy 10 is a stuffed animal, namely a “plush” teddy bear. While the illustrated embodiment resembles a bear or bear cub, it should be understood that the novel aspects and features of this disclosure can be incorporated into other toys, including stuffed toys that assume other animal, insect and human-like “doll” forms, whether alive, extinct, mythical, fantastic, etc., as well as other objects and forms, and that all such forms are within the scope and spirit of the invention. Moreover, the stuffed toy 10 may be primarily intended as a therapeutic and/or disciplinary tool for treating or pacifying adolescent behavioral and emotional problems, such as child temper tantrums, tirades, conduct disorders and other types of emotional outbursts. Nevertheless, the stuffed toy 10 may be also suitable for entertainment, companionship and other conventional purposes. It should also be understood that the drawings are not necessarily to scale and are provided purely for descriptive purposes. As such, the individual and relative dimensions of the drawings presented herein are not to be considered limiting.

With continuing reference to the illustrated embodiment, the stuffed toy 10 includes a body, designated generally at 12 in FIGS. 1 and 2, which is shown shaped like a bear in a seated position. The body 12 has a torso 14 with a head 16 that is projecting outwardly from an upper “neck” portion of the torso 14. As best seen in FIG. 2, the head 16 may be provided with simulated eyes, a nose and a mouth, as well as ears projecting from opposite sides of the head 16, all of which can be cooperatively configured to convey the aforementioned teddy bear theme. Projecting from laterally spaced “shoulder” portions of the torso 14 are two elongated arms 18A and 18B, each of which may include a corresponding paw at the distal end thereof. First and second legs 20A and 20B, respectively, project outwardly from respective “hip” portions of the torso 14. Like the arms 18A, 18B, the legs 20A, 20B may each be provided with a corresponding paw at the distal end thereof. A central “stomach” portion of the stuffed toy 10 on the front side of the torso 14 defines a cavity 22. Depending on the intended form of the stuffed toy 10, the body 12 may include greater or fewer than four appendages, each of which may take on similar or differing forms than those shown in the drawings (e.g., horns, wings, tails, etc.).

The body 12 may generally comprise a flexible outer shell, which may be in the nature of a plush casing or other textile or synthetic skin, that is filled with a pliable material, such as cotton, wool, and other natural and synthetic fibers and stuffings, etc. The precise shape and size of the stuffed toy 10, as well as the quantity and nature of the stuffing material, may be altered as desired, for example, to meet specific design requirements or intended applications. By way of non-limiting example, the stuffed toy 10 may be as small as approximately 2-4 inches in length (e.g., in a keychain application), or may be approximately 7-15 inches in length (e.g., in a standard teddy bear application), or even over approximately 30 inches in length (e.g., in oversized and “giant” stuffed animal applications). As shown, the stuffed toy 10 is small enough to be handled and shaken by a child as young as two years of age, but sufficiently large to make choking on or throwing the stuffed toy 10 difficult for an infant or toddler. It may be desirable, in at least some embodiments, that the body 12, including the torso 14, head 16 and four appendages 18A, 18B, 20A, 20B, be integrally formed as a single-piece, unitary structure. Alternatively, the torso 14, head 16, arms 18A, 18B and/or legs 20A, 20B, singly and in any combination, may be fabricated separately and subsequently attached together. In this latter instance, the head 16, arms 18A, 18B and/or legs 20A, 20B need not take on a plush or stuffed form. Optional configurations may include moveable (manual and automated) arms, legs, and/or head. For the safety of the child, it may be desirable for the body 12 to be fabricated from a flame resistant or flame retardant, non-toxic material.

Incorporated into the stuffed toy 10 is a therapeutic feature for abating, pacifying or otherwise treating behavioral and emotional problems of children. According to the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the stuffed toy 10 is a CALM DOWN COMPANION™ which includes a “calming” container 24 that is disposed within the cavity 22 and attached to the torso 14. The container 24 may be translucent or transparent, may be permanent or replaceable, may be sealed or penetrable, and may take on many different colors, shapes and sizes. In the illustrated embodiment, for example, the container 24 is a translucent, hollow orb that is formed from an elastic polymeric material. In this example, the container 24 is rigidly attached to the torso 14, e.g., via adhesives, sewing, or any other suitable means. To protect infants and toddlers, as well as to comply with child product safety standards, it may be desirable that the container 24 be hermetically sealed, lack corners and jagged edges, and be fabricated from a non-splintering and non-frangible material. The container 24 may be nested within the cavity 22, substantially filling and protruding at least partially out of the cavity 22. Although not readily apparent from the black-and-white format of the appended drawings, the container 24 is colored in a red hue. Nevertheless, other colors, hues, tints, shades, brightness, and tones are within the scope and spirit of the present disclosure.

A fluid medium 26 is disposed within and, in at least some embodiments, sealed inside the container 24. According to aspects of the disclosed concepts, the fluid medium 26 is a liquid, such as water, oil, a glycerin-water mixture, a glycol-water mixture, or other suitable liquids and liquid mixtures, which is fluidly sealed within the container 24. When provided in liquid form, the fluid medium 26 can be treated with bactericidal or bacteriostatic chemical agents to inhibit bacterial growth and a chemical treatment to prevent evaporation. A plurality of particles, some of which are designated generally at 28 in FIGS. 1 and 2, is movably disposed within the fluid medium 26. As shown, the fluid medium 26 is entrained with the particles 28, which are light-reflective particulates that may be stirred or swirled within the fluid medium 26, for example, by shaking the stuffed toy 10 or otherwise agitating the fluid medium 26. The particles 28 may take on many different forms, including light-reflective glitter, ground rice, metal flakes, plastic particulates, combinations thereof, and the like.

In the illustrated embodiment, the stuffed toy 10 operates by shaking the body 12 and, thus, the fluid medium 26 inside the container 24 such that the particles 28 are jostled around and dispersed throughout the fluid medium 26. As the particles 28 stir around in the container 24 and, in some embodiments, reflect light, the child is mesmerized and entranced by the stuffed toy 10. The child may then shake the stuffed toy 10 over and over again to repeat this feature. When a child is given a calming and fun task to help distract them from the anger that caused a temper tantrum or other emotional outburst, the anger will subside and the child can now focus on something else that is constructive. After the particles 28 have settled to the bottom of the container 24 and the child's anger and restlessness have been abated, the child is more likely to be open to a productive discussion and more likely to be reasoned with about the actions that led to the reprimand in the first place. Further, the stuffed toy 10 can be used preventatively prior to a tirade or temper tantrum, helping to curb the child's anger and focus the child on others thing which allows them to calm down.

The viscosity of the fluid medium 26 can be configured to prevent the particles 28, after being stirred within the fluid medium 26, from settling to the bottom of the container 26 for a predetermined minimum amount of time. By way of non-limiting example, the fluid medium 26 may be a liquid mixture (homogeneous or heterogeneous) comprising two or more different substances, wherein the relative content (e.g., volumetric ratio) of the mixture's constituent parts can be adapted to achieve a desired viscosity. Alternatively, the fluid medium 26 may be chosen from fluids known to have a desired viscosity. In at least some embodiments, the predetermined minimum amount of time is at least about one minute, whereas in some embodiments the predetermined minimum amount of time is at least about 1.5 minutes and, in some embodiments, approximately 2-4 minutes. Optionally, the stuffed toy 10 may include a motor-driven mixer or other fluid-agitating device that is operable to stir the fluid medium 26 and thereby make the particles 28 move for a predetermined minimum amount of time.

The stuffed toy 10 of FIGS. 1 and 2 may include numerous optional features. According to one non-limiting example, the body 12 of the stuffed toy 10 can be configured to remain in an upright seated position (as shown), an upright standing position, or any other desired position or orientation without external assistance. For instance, the body 12 may be fabricated with an endoskeleton or other form of internal support structure that is designed to retain the stuffed toy 10 in a desired position. Alternatively, the stiffness of the stuffing, the stiffness of the outer shell, or a combination thereof, may be configured to retain the stuffed toy 12 in a desired position such that the container 24 is readily visible to the child without the stuffed toy 10 being held or otherwise manually manipulated.

As another optional feature, the stuffed toy 10 may include an illumination device, shown schematically at 30 in FIG. 2, which is coupled to and/or disposed within the torso 14 or, optionally, the container 24. The illumination device 30, such as a battery powered white or multi-colored light emitting diode (LED) assembly, is configured to selectively illuminate the fluid medium 26 disposed within the container 24. Moreover, the stuffed toy 10 may include a sound-generating device with an activation mechanism, both of which are collectively represented at 32 in FIG. 2. The sound-generating device and activation mechanism 32, which may be in the form of a battery powered miniature low-fidelity speaker with a binary switch mechanism, are both shown disposed within the arm 18B of the stuffed toy 10, but can be packaged at other locations of the body 12. The activation mechanism is configured to cause the sound-generating device to output an audible sound, which may be pre-recorded sounds, a soothing voice or music composition, a recording of the voice of the child's mother or father, etc.

Providing a toy that incorporates a therapeutic device into a teddy bear or other stuffed toy configuration, as disclosed herein, offers emotional wellbeing to a child with the recognition and lovableness inherently associated with stuffed toys. Such a configuration provides the child with the choice of playing with the stuffed toy 10 as a plush toy or utilizing the stuffed toy 10 to provide emotional comfort and companionship, and to provide a calming affect for the child. Such a configuration can save the parents money in that they can provide the child with both a plush toy and a therapeutic device to ameliorate temper tantrums, tirades and other types of emotional outbursts.

A common response to a child temper tantrum or emotional outburst is to place a child in a “time out.” In a typical time out scenario, the child is made to sit alone in a chair or other area of the home, ostensibly to think about the reason why they are in time out and/or what they should do differently in the future to avoid being placed in a time out. The traditional time out approach, however, oftentimes does not work because the child can become more agitated and emotionally distressed by being punished and placed in a solitary environment without a constructive and positive outlet for the emotional build up. The child may unwittingly exacerbate the situation or spend the duration of the time out doing things that can be destructive. With the stuffed toys disclosed herein, this is no longer an issue because the child is provided with a new purpose and a calming distraction from the emotional flare-up, all of which helps to prevent the child from repeating the problematic behavior or doing something else destructive.

In accordance with some of the disclosed concepts, the stuffed toys disclosed herein operate to distract the child from the problematic situation by focusing their attention on the stuffed animal and its calming visual effects. The child is distracted and calmed by the glitter falling down to the bottom of the stuffed animal's tummy, while at the same time being entertained and comforted by a stuffed toy. This process can take up to a minute, or more, allowing the child sufficient time to calm down and forget what it is that angered them and caused the outburst. In addition, systematic use of a CALM DOWN COMPANION™ as a regular form of therapy and discipline can allow the child to determine how many shakes of the stuffed toy is needed to sufficiently stir the contents of the container to calm themselves down.

Only selected components of the stuffed toy have been shown and are described in detail herein. Nevertheless, the stuffed toys discussed herein can include numerous additional, alternative, and other well-known incidental components and accessories without departing from the intended scope and spirit of the present disclosure. Seeing as these components are well known in the art, they will not be described in further detail.

While many preferred embodiments and best modes for carrying out the present invention have been described in detail above, those familiar with the art to which this invention relates will recognize various alternative designs and embodiments for practicing the invention within the scope of the appended claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A stuffed toy for children, the stuffed toy comprising: a body having a torso, a head, and one or more appendages projecting from the torso, the torso defining a cavity; a container disposed within the cavity and attached to the torso; and a fluid medium disposed within the container, the fluid medium including a plurality of particles movably disposed within the fluid medium.
 2. The stuffed toy of claim 1, wherein a viscosity of the fluid medium is configured to prevent the plurality of particles, after being stirred within the fluid medium, from settling to the bottom of the container for a predetermined minimum amount of time.
 3. The stuffed toy of claim 1, wherein the container is rigidly attached to the torso and substantially fills the cavity.
 4. The stuffed toy of claim 1, wherein the container protrudes at least partially out of the cavity.
 5. The stuffed toy of claim 1, wherein the container is fluidly sealed.
 6. The stuffed toy of claim 1, wherein the container is translucent.
 7. The stuffed toy of claim 1, wherein the container is a hollow orb.
 8. The stuffed toy of claim 1, wherein the plurality of particles includes light-reflective glitter.
 9. The stuffed toy of claim 1, wherein the body is configured to stay seated or standing in an upright position without external assistance.
 10. The stuffed toy of claim 1, further comprising an illumination device configured to selectively illuminate the fluid medium disposed within the container.
 11. The stuffed toy of claim 1, further comprising a sound-generating device disposed within the body and connected to an activation mechanism, wherein the activation mechanism is configured to cause the sound-generating device to output an audible sound.
 12. The stuffed toy of claim 1, wherein the body includes a flexible outer shell filled with a pliable material.
 13. The stuffed toy of claim 1, wherein the cavity is defined in a front central portion of the torso.
 14. The stuffed toy of claim 1, wherein the one or more appendages includes two arms and two legs projecting outwardly from respective portions of the torso.
 15. A therapeutic stuffed animal comprising: a torso with a flexible outer shell filled with a pliable material, a front portion of the torso defining a cavity; a head projecting outwardly from the torso; multiple appendages projecting outwardly from the torso; a translucent or transparent container attached to the torso, the container being seated within and substantially filling the cavity; and a fluid medium sealed within the container, the fluid medium including a plurality of light-reflective particles movably disposed within the fluid medium.
 16. The stuffed animal of claim 15, wherein a viscosity of the fluid medium is configured to prevent the plurality of light-reflective particles, after being stirred within the fluid, from settling to the bottom of the container for a predetermined minimum amount of time.
 17. The stuffed animal of claim 15, wherein the container is rigidly attached to the torso and protruding at least partially out of the cavity.
 18. The stuffed animal of claim 15, wherein the container is a hollow polymeric orb.
 19. The stuffed animal of claim 15, wherein the body is configured to remain seated in an upright position without external assistance.
 20. A therapeutic stuffed teddy bear for children, the teddy bear comprising: a bear-shaped body with a flexible textile outer shell filled with a pliable material, the body having a torso, a head projecting outwardly from the torso, and two arms and two legs projecting outwardly from the torso, a front central portion of the torso defining a cavity; a translucent elastic orb rigidly attached to the torso, the orb being seated within, substantially filling and protruding at least partially out of the cavity; and a liquid medium fluidly sealed within the container and entrained with light-reflective glitter particles movably disposed within the liquid medium. 